CATEGORY: ALMOST DIED
WHERE: Near Hadera, Israel
WHEN: Daytime, Winter, 1972-73
AGE: 19 years old

The bomb exploded maybe 30 seconds before my bus pulled up to that rural station. I didn’t see the explosion, because the bus stop was around the right corner from the bus when it happened, trees blocking the view. I was the only passenger on that bus ready to get off there. I was standing up front, next to the driver, when he opened the door. We saw clouds of smoke and dust in the air. I said: "What happened?" The driver already guessed it: "A bomb just exploded." I stepped out of the bus and stood, looking around. The structure was concrete, just 2 walls, a roof and a bench, with an orange grove for a backdrop. No one was there. An agricultural repair yard across the road had people in it, looking at me.

I walked toward the Kibbutz, where I lived at the time.

PS: It was a time of peace in Israel. At the moment there was no Intifada (uprising), no war.

Next day the newspaper said that the bomb was small and amateurish. Only some orange trees were damaged. They speculated that it was done by young Arabs, trying to impress their elders. They timed the fuse for the arrival of my bus, but lucky for me, they timed it wrong by 30 seconds.

I did not have any strong feelings about it, one way or another.